Why can't female video game characters, especially ones that were created to break the mold of the male-hero-saves-the-day, retain their brains and problem-solving abilities as their selling point? After all, video games are supposed to be escapism from the messed-up, patriarchal world we live in, so it's about time they started living up to that expectation.

A lifelong Torontonian, I've seen startlingly little of the rest of our beautiful country, a reality of which I'm not proud. This reality was the impetus behind my most recent family travel venture. With the summer quickly winding down and Labour Day beckoning, I boarded a train with the family and headed East. La Belle Province was our destination, Montreal to be exact.